Sheriff candidates ready to knock down gangs

Bill Wittman and John Zapalac have gangs on their minds.

The two contenders — so far — for the Tulare County Sheriff’s badge in the 2010 election say their priorities will be eliminating the problem, but their approaches will be different.

Incumbent Wittman says suppression is key, while Woodlake Police Department Chief Zapalac says early prevention is the solution.

Zapalac’s 2010 campaign was launched more than a year ago. He was defeated by Wittman — currently in his fourth term — in 2006, by 64 percent to 36 percent.

The Tulare County Police Chief’s Association has decided not to endorse either candidate, as they both are members of the association, according to Porterville Police Department Chuck McMillan.

“We are going to stay out of it,” McMillan said. “I like both of them. Whoever becomes sheriff will strive do the best job he can in that position.”

The official filing period for the June 8 primary runs from Feb. 15 to March 12. If no candidate receives more than 50 percent of the total vote, a run-off election will be held in November.

In 2011 the sheriff will likely face budget constraints — the department took a $5 million hit in this fiscal year — and overcrowded jails. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has proposed slashing $1.2 billion to state prisons, including about $360 million in savings by shifting nonviolent offenders out of state prisons and into county jails, and by reducing the juvenile prison population and closing the facilities that house them.

Their desires to contend with the jail issues and financial constraints, in addition to overseeing law enforcement in the county’s unincorporated areas, stem from years of law enforcement experience.

“In terms of California’s prison system, it’s not working,” Zapalac said. “It’s broken. Prevention is my philosophy ... Not enough is being done now ... Success is not about how many people are being arrested.”

After 12 years as the chief in Woodlake, he said he has developed a system that works.

The system includes putting more officers on foot and in schools, teaching the detrimental affects of methamphetamines in classrooms, encouraging volunteerism among his workforce and creating camps for children, where they partake in outdoor activities and simultaneously learn the importance of staying in school and respecting their families and local law enforcement.

In 1990, Zapalac started such an operation, called Camp Zap, that takes place at his family’s ranch in Lemon Cove. He said he wants the camp to grow into other areas of the county.

“[These efforts] have been huge in terms of fixing our relationship with youth,” he said. “Woodlake in 1997 had some really serious issues. We’re just not experiencing gang problems anymore.”  

Wittman agrees that early intervention is an important component of law enforcement, but said “suppression will always be my number one priority ... We’re moving gang members out of the communities that they’re harassing, so the youth can enjoy their lives.”

The Tulare County native has been sheriff for 15 years now.

He said the sheriff’s department’s has two task forces that deal with gangs — one in the south end of the county and the other in the north. The Tulare County Gang Violence Suppression Unit —founded in 1995 — includes ten detectives and two sergeants split equally between two offices, one in Visalia and another in Pixley.

Wittman attributed much of the department’s ability to put gang members and drug users in jail to his finding grant funding to prevent layoffs when the department’s budget shrank significantly in the last year.

“I spend most of my time developing resources outside the county,” he said.

He also said that under his watch, deputies have done a “tremendous amount of work with youth,” citing holiday parties, trips to Pismo Beach and the county fair, and Sheriff’s Explorers— a career education program for young people.

The salary range for the sheriff’s position ranges between $128,232 and $192,348.

Contact Jenna Chandler at 784-5000, Ext. 1050, or jchandler@portervillerecorder.com.